Jacob's Ladder
Adrian Lyne
1990, 124 mins.
Never again? Timing is everything
This recent rerelease in 4K has as much to say about some of the horrors of the Viet Nam War as it does about American life in 2025.
Consider today: More and more countries are recognizing Palestine as a state (as difficult to achieve as it sounds); rogue quacks at RFK Jr’s CDC try to ratchet up the connection between Tylenol and autism (along with cutting back support for provenly effective COVID shots); Trump implores Attorney General Pam Bondi to get moving with made-up charges against his political enemies and the DOJ looks the other way as Border “Czar” Tom Homan faces no investigation into his recorded acceptance of $50,000 bribery money.
The glue between these current atrocities and Lyne’s compelling tale of a Viet Nam vet daily wrestling with his combat demons is both an important recounting of possibly fictional circumstances and a cautionary tale that, both then and now, too much power in the hands of a few can lead to disastrous effects for the many.
At the centre of it all is serviceman Jacob Singer (Tim Robbins is nothing short of superb in this challenging role as he uses a chiropractor—Danny Aiello deftly cracking every bone, ex-wife—Patricia Kalember as supportive as needs be, and current lover—Elizabeth Peña having the patience of Job while her “here again, gone again” lover tries to deal with past nightmares and present-day horrors.
Bruce Rubin’s script is a marvel of in-the-moment action, memories or hallucinations past, and current-day scenes (notably employing a lawyer—Jason Alexander, far, far away from his role in Seinfeld). This collage of narrative techniques lets all viewers fill in the blanks for themselves and come to their own conclusions as to whether or not the US government once again overstepped its bounds and authorities in the unproven name of the greater good.
By journey’s end, it falls to a long-lost apparition from much happier days past to gently lead Jacob up his final ladder, finally at peace with himself.
Similar feelings of “this cannot be happening to me” most certainly are playing out far too frequently on the international waters near Venezuela. Yet another moral ladder to climb.
JWR
The Ugly
Yeon Sang-Ho
2025, 102 mins.
“It’s always night for you”
Here’s a thoughtful study about the different amongst us: A blind-from-birth wood-stamp carver and an apparently distorted face—toiling in a seedy garment factory—that only deserves mockery—discreet or out loud.
Binding everything together is a dutiful son (Park Jeong-in as Im Dong-hwan) who tries to unravel the truth of his 40-years-ago mother’s death, whose grizzly remains have only recently been discovered. His father (Yeong-gyu), in more ways than one, blindly reveals much of the past history, but only when forced to do so.
The narrative technique is a series of interviews that deftly move from colourful backgrounder to deadly dark exposé, convincingly driven by a tireless producer, desperate to get a scoop (Han Ji-hyun).
In a hard-to-believe-it’s-coincidental release timing, Yeon (who also wrote the intriguing script), has managed to create a compelling narrative similar to Jeffrey Epstein’s unending saga (also decades from the grave), featuring bullying, fetishism, rape, lies and possible statute of limitations escapes for some of those involved.
But what lingers most after the credits have concluded, is what many disabled people are forced to go through far beyond their specific or perceived impairments even as they try valiantly to live in what is supposed to be “normal” society, sadly filled with all manner of other “hidden” disabilities that cause much more harm than good.
It’s a film well worth watching with others if only to spark post-viewing conversations that may reveal as much or more about ugliness: real or imagined. JWR